ESPN

The second parade of the month for Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki takes place Tuesday in his hometown of Wurzburg in Bavaria.

Nowitzki flew home over the weekend after his first-pitch duties at Friday night's Rangers game and will be honored by his countrymen in a city hall ceremony and afternoon procession through the city.

He'll also meet the German press for the first time since leading the Mavericks to the franchise's first championship, which was followed by an emotional parade through downtown Dallas and the celebration of Nowitzki's 33rd birthday on June 19.

For those of you who missed it, Dirk Nowitzki joined Ben & Skin on Tuesday morning for 30 very candid minutes on 103.3 FM. The NBA Finals MVP let his guard down and provided insight for his championship-moment exit, the Finals afterparty and his plans for the summer.

Here's a mere snippet of what he had to say, or you can just click the link below to hear the whole interview -- and the tone in which Dirk said it. It's must-listen audio for any Mavericks fan:

Why he left the floor immediately after winning the championship:

"In my career and my life, so far, I had two huge goals and they were to go to the Olympics and to win a world championship. After both big moments when I achieved [them], I needed a moment to myself. It was the same in Athens when we clinched to go to Beijing. I couldn’t talk for like 30 minutes. I had to go into the locker room and lay down and was crying like a little baby. I just needed a little time.

PODCAST
NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki joins The Ben & Skin Show to discuss his life since the Mavericks won the NBA title, his relationship with Miami's Dwyane Wade and how he's weighing his options between rest and the German national team this summer. Listen

"The same happened in Miami. I had to run off the court. I needed a couple minutes so I was laying in the shower with a towel in front of my face. The PR guy for the NBA was running back and saying, “You gotta come out, they are about to present the trophy” and I was like, “I don’t want it. Give it to me in 30 minutes. Hold the whole celebration up.” And they were like, “No, you have to come out in a couple minutes” so at least I had like five or six minutes to gather myself and get a couple tears out of the way. Then I was fine.

"If you work for something so hard for so long and you put so much work into it to finally reach your goal, it’s just like the emotions come out and a lot of pressure comes off. Not only the pressure that the public puts on you, but also myself. I put the most pressure on myself to perform and make my dreams come true. Once that happened, it always comes out and everything flows out a bit."

On Holger Geschwindner sitting down throughout the championship party:

"He’s a freak. Honestly, I think it is one of his proudest moments too. He’s been hearing the critics all along about how you can’t get it done. I think he was just so overwhelmed texting people and I’m sure he got a million texts. My phone was blowing up and I didn’t even care. I was partying. We had the biggest champagne bottle I’ve ever seen in my life. That thing was so huge. I was just having the time of my life and really enjoying the championship, but I was wondering too. I was like, 'Holger, get up. What are you doing? Let’s start dancing or do something,' but he was just sitting there texting people.

"[Holger] was in his leather jacket. He’s been wearing that, it’s got to be the last 10 years straight almost every day. The guys on the team murder him every day when it’s like 100 degrees out and he walks in with a leather jacket and then finally we go somewhere into a gym and its cold and he’s like, 'See. I told you.' Its 120 degrees out, why do you always wear that jacket?"

About the party at a club on South Beach:

"We’ve got the trophy in the club, which was a circus. I thought somebody may run away with it for sure. Cuban was just handing it out like it was a bottle of water. I saw random people with it and was like, 'Oh God, this can’t end good.' But our security guys did a good job keeping an eye on it. It was an unbelievable night to go in there with the trophy with the guys. It was great."

Has he touched a basketball since winning the championship?

"I will not for awhile. The only thing I’m debating is whether I’ll play for the German national team this summer which is at the end of August when we have the European Championship coming up. So if I do that, I probably have to start working out in the middle of July, so I only have three more weeks of rest if I do that. If not, then I’ll probably take off longer.

"I did do a little cardio [because] you never just want to completely go down to zero fitness-wise and start all over because that is the hardest thing, especially when you’re over 30 [years old]. You always want to keep a level of fitness. I played some tennis this week which was fun and I did a little cardio, but I won’t touch a ball for at least a month."

Did beating the Miami Heat for the championship make it sweeter?

"I don’t know, maybe. Like I said during this run, it’s taken five long years to get back to the Finals. We had a great year after we went to the Finals, winning 70 games. Then basically you think that we were right back playing at a high level on that stage in no time, but it took us five long years and a bunch of first-round exits [to get back]. If we got back to that stage, I probably would have played the Clippers if I could or really anybody because it was such a long, grinding run to get back. Maybe it made it a little extra special in the end to beat the Big Three. Maybe that was the case, but like I said, I would have played anybody at that point because it was just so hard and so long to get back there."

Was there extra incentive from Dwyane Wade’s comments in 2006 and 2007?

"Yeah, it was. I think that everybody knows that we aren’t the closest friends. We are competitors. Stuff was said there in those Finals. I said that we gave the Finals away and that probably didn’t sit well with Wade. That’s why he said some of the things he said. I don’t think that necessarily fueled me. I think that the experience of losing in the Finals helped me as a player to work harder and to be a better closer and to just come back stronger every year. I think it was good for me to go through that experience of losing one, but I never let critics get to me. I knew I had to work on my game to get better and be a better all around player to help those guys. Over the years I’ve just added more and just the jump shot. What I was able to do this playoff run was get to the line, able to drive more and get to the basket on key plays. Just being a better all-around player and losing in 2006. It’s definitely good now because the critics basically have to shut up. I heard for my whole career that my style can’t win because it is just jump shooting off of one leg and it wasn’t consistent enough. And that’s partly why this one is so sweet too."

As I'm sitting here watching Shawn Marion and J.J. Barea get their shine on "Lopez Tonight," it seems that basking in the glorious warmth of this championship run is a feeling that nobody around here wants to abandon. But it will will eventually come to an end. And the reality of the tough decisions every front office faces in sports will bring some storm clouds to this seemingly endless parade.

As the Dallas Mavericks try and figure out if they truly do want to bring this team back to make a run at defending their crown with the full posse, they have some tough realities with which to deal.

They're on the book for $60 million next year before re-signing Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson and Barea (not to mention Peja Stojakovic or Brain Cardinal, who are probable minimum veteran guys). Without a new CBA in place, we're just in speculation mode right now. But if the owners stand firm and the idea of working toward a hard cap is a part of the NBA's new financial framework, you can see how difficult it will be for Dallas to move forward with the same cast.

Keeping Chandler is a must and you'd think Barea is too, but can you afford to pay him if someone offers him average NBA salary -- basically mid-level exception money in the neighborhood of $5 million or so a year? Can this team afford for those two guys alone to eat up $15-$17 million a year of hard cap space?

One popular idea folks like to kick around is an "amnesty clause" similar to the one in the last CBA that allows teams to remove a contract off of their books in order to avoid luxury-tax penalties, though they would still owe the player that money. But what if this version actually freed up some cap space as well? If the Mavs truly want to be players in the free-agency class of 2012 when Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard become available, then wouldn't they have to use that clause on a player in order to be in the mix for those guys?

Does that mean parting ways with a guy like Shawn Marion, who just went on an epic playoff run that included locking down Kobe, KD and King James? How do you sell that to your team and the fan base?

In a tough new landscape that may include a hard cap, will a team be able to pay Marion $9 million dollars in the 2013-14 season when he's 35? Would the Mavericks be willing to part ways with him just for the flexibility to be able to get one of those big-name guys 12 months from now?

Those are tough decisions. Under the old system, having Trix around is the ultimate no-brainer. The question: Just how different will the new system be? It's strange to think about all that with the "Lopez Tonight" party scene starring Barea and Trix unfolding on my TV.

If it's a simple question of loyalty, those dudes will be Mavericks teammates for years to come. But the new CBA simply may not allow it.

The Dallas Mavericks' championship parade starts at 10 a.m. Thursday. It'll begin at Dallas Convention Center and wind up at American Airlines Center.

PODCAST
Relive the Dallas Mavericks' 2010-11 NBA playoff run with an audio highlights montage. Listen

Join ESPN Dallas as we give you comprehensive coverage from the parade floats, in Victory Park and inside American Airlines Center. You can listen on ESPN 103.3 FM and ESPNDallas.com from 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m., and then only on ESPNDallas.com when the celebration moves inside at 11:30 a.m.

In addition, you can watch the parade coverage live on your computer on ESPNDallas.com beginning at 10 a.m.

So join ESPN Dallas on Thursday morning: Tune in. Log in. Join in. Party on!

Team and city officials announced the parade plans Tuesday. Players, coaches and front office personnel -- including owner Mark Cuban and former owner Don Carter, who founded the team 31 years ago -- will participate.

Team officials are expecting 250,000 to attend, according to The Associated Press.

Here's the map of the route:


View Dallas Mavericks championship parade route in a larger map

DALLAS -- Retribution mattered.

Immediately after the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder to clinch the Western Conference championship, Jason Terry attempted to downplay the possibility of a potential NBA Finals rematch against the dreaded Miami Heat. The Heat and Chicago Bulls were headed to Game 5 in the East finals the next night with Miami in control, 3-1.

"It doesn't matter who we play," Terry said adamantly. "Whoever shows up in those uniforms they know they're going to have a fight on their hands because we're going to go out and we're going to leave it all out on the floor. We know what happened last time, and it's our job to seal the deal."

Terry and the Mavs lived up to the latter part. They sealed the deal, dropping 2006 Finals tormentor Dwyane Wade and his new superstar sidekick LeBron James on their home floor in six games.

It wasn't until Tuesday's exit interviews back at the American Airlines Center that Terry finally admitted just how good it had felt to win his and the franchise's first title against the team that took it from them five years earlier.

Terry was asked for his favorite moment in the Finals. It wasn't his Game 5 dagger from 26-feet away or his cross-over dribble past LeBron James and kick-out to Jason Kidd for a killer 3 in the same game or his 19-point first half in Game 6. It wasn't even his gutsy challenge of James after Game 3.

This was it:

"Just seeing the faces of the Miami Heat when we won. Not only the players, but the fans," Terry said. "Going through that arena and remembering what they did to us. To do it on their court ... It would've been special doing it here in front of our fans, but on their court ..."

So, Terry was asked as a follow-up, redemption did matter?

"No question," Terry said. "I had to play it up, didn't want to use that as a motivating factor going in, but walking out of that same locker room, those same ballboys -- all that played a factor."

DALLAS -- In the buildup to his third career NBA Finals, Jason Kidd talked about the differences in his game and responsibilities then -- the 2002 and '03 Finals with the New Jersey Nets -- and now.

PODCAST
Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd dishes on finally winning an NBA title, his future in the league, and much more. Listen

"I had to do a lot in the [previous] Finals: score, pass, defend," Kidd said. "Here, it’s kind of shortened in the sense of that I just have to defend and find the open guy because I have so many guys around me that can put the ball in the basket."

The numbers show he is absolutely correct. Kidd, who became the oldest point guard to win a title at age 38, successfully adapted and even transformed his game since he arrived in Dallas.

According to the NBA.com Stats Cube, Kidd finished the ’02 and ’03 Finals with these combined stats: 29.3% Usg, 28.1 3-point percentage, 34.2-percent FGM assisted.

Here's what it means: Usg equals the total number of times a possession ended with Kidd either making an assist, a turnover, a basket or a free throw (so about one-third of all Nets possessions ended with the ball in Kidd's hands) ; 3-point percentage is self-explanatory (he didn't make many of them); and FGM assisted is the percentage of Kidd's baskets that came via assist (so only about one-third of the time, which tells us he was creating his own shot most of the time).

Now, here are those same statistical categories for Kidd during the 2011 Finals with the Dallas Mavericks: 14.8% Usg, 42.9% 3-point percentage, 78.6% FGM assisted.

Here's what it means: Possessions rarely ended in Kidd's hands, meaning he was primarily creating for others; his 3-point shooting in the Finals was superb; and more than three-fourths of his buckets came via assist, a monstrous increase from '02 and '03, meaning he tailored his game to become a spot-up shooter.

Just because Kidd tailored his game as he aged and to fit what the Mavs needed, it shouldn't be mistaken for thinking his importance to the Mavs' title run was any less critical than when he led the Nets to back-to-back appearances nearly a decade ago. It's just different.

"Jason Kidd’s DNA is all over this thing," coach Rick Carlisle said. "While on many nights you don’t see some of the gaudy statistic in terms of points scored and things like that, the way he has facilitated our team on the court with his leadership ability, his knowledge of our team, the example that he sets by playing with a certain level of intensity on the one hand, but on the other hand he’s extremely cool under pressure.

"He’s one of the all-time greats; there is absolutely no question about it. And again, for Jason Kidd, this moment completely validates his career as being one of those super, super, superstars."

What's the second-best thing to visiting the White House after winning a championship?

An appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman," of course.

Mark Cuban, NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki and other members of the 2010-11 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks will present the Top Ten list on Wednesday night's show.

With a big parade planned for Thursday morning in downtown Dallas, the Mavs won't make the trip to the Ed Sullivan Theater. They'll do the appearance via satellite from the American Airlines Center.

To commemorate the Mavericks' franchise-first world championship, ESPN Dallas helps you relive the title celebration with custom desktop wallpapers.

Click here to get your images.

DALLAS -- None of the Mavericks plan to ride off into the sunset with their ring.

Jason Kidd has made it clear that he has no intention to retire at the tender age of 38. In fact, he hopes to play at least another year or two after his contract expires following next season.

Peja Stojakovic and Brian Cardinal, two other Mavericks who are admittedly nearing the end of their careers, both said they hope to stay in Dallas. They're both free agents this summer.

"I haven’t thought about that yet," Stojakovic said of retirement. "I still enjoy the game. Even though I’m not the same player and I have to understand who I am at this point of my career, I still enjoy being out there. I still enjoy competing.

"Being part of something special was unbelievable for me this year."

Stojakovic signed with the Mavs for the veteran minimum in the middle of the season. Cardinal signed a nonguaranteed minimum deal last summer and earned the right to stick with the team all season. He'd be happy to get the same offer again.

“Cash in? Geez, I’m just looking to survive another year," Cardinal said. “I’d love to stay here. It’s the best group of guys I’ve been around."

Kurt Snibbe continues his "Statues" series for Page 2 by celebrating the contribution made during the NBA Finals by Mavericks "Custodian" Brian Cardinal.

This statue serves as a monument to the fortitude and skill of the gritty power forward, an instrumental member of the 2011 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. In the NBA Finals, he shot 66.7 percent from the field and averaged one personal foul every 3.75 minutes. The Mavericks were 4-0 when he played in the series and 0-2 when he didn't. He also grabbed a rebound.

Click here to see the image.

ESPNDallas.com's Travis L. Brown took in the scene when the Mavericks landed at Love Field and started celebrating the NBA championship with their rabid fans.

NBA Champion head coach Rick Carlisle joins GAC for an hour to talk about this amazing story for his Dallas Mavericks squad (part 1 of 2).

 

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NBA Champion head coach Rick Carlisle joins GAC for an hour to talk about this amazing story for his Dallas Mavericks squad (part 2 of 2).

 

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Rangers president and CEO Nolan Ryan joins GAC to congratulate the Mavericks on winning their franchise-first NBA title.

 

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Brendan Haywood is honored to be an NBA champion. He talks about his injury and role, says the series changed late in Game 2, can't explain what happened to LeBron, compliments Dirk's toughness, credits coach Rick Carlisle, and is happy for Jason Kidd.

 

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ESPN Dallas 103.3FM's Chuck Cooperstein says Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has enhanced his legacy with a title. Plus, Cooperstein says owner Mark Cuban was a hard working example for his players.

 

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ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan covers Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks' win over the Heat in the NBA Finals.

 

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Five-time NBA champion Steve Kerr says LeBron again lost confidence in his shot in Game 6 and didn't have anywhere to turn. Kerr says LeBron is more Scottie Pippen than Jordan who needs to polish his game.

 

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Mike Tirico shares his thoughts on Dallas' win over Miami in the NBA Finals and explains why he doesn't think LeBron James knows how to handle the media or his critics.

 

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ESPN's Jalen Rose gives credit to Dallas and Jason Terry for winning the NBA title.

 

You can expect a lot of folks will miss work Thursday.

That's when the Mavericks victory parade will take place, the team confirmed Monday.

True to their word not to plan anything before the championship was secured, city of Dallas officials won't release final details about the route until Tuesday morning.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban has already pledged to foot the bill for the parade, sparing the city.

MIAMI -- The Mavericks will just savor their first championship for at least a few days, as well they should.

Las Vegas, on the other hand, doesn't wait to look ahead.

And the wise guys don't doubt Dallas' ability to win it all again. Bodog gave the Mavs 10/1 odds to repeat.

Three of the four teams with better odds were eliminated by the Mavs during this postseason: the Heat at 5/2, the Lakers at 11/2 and the Thunder at 8/1. The Bulls have 6/1 odds.

We'll delve into how the Mavs' roster might change in the days to come. But it's feasible that the Mavs, the NBA's oldest team this season, will be even better when the 2011-12 campaign begins.

There are a lot of ifs involved, starting with if free agent big man Tyson Chandler decides to stay in Dallas. But, if that happens and they re-sign a healthy Caron Butler and/or rebuild Rodrigue Beaubois' confidence, the defending champions could be even deeper and more talented.

MIAMI -- Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and John Stockton (among others) just lost a member of the Best Player to Never Win a Ring Club.

Dirk Nowitzki just got his.

The 7-footer won his first championship ring after a long, hard 13-year climb, displaying steely resolve and a passionate leadership that would make Larry Bird proud.

Now Nowitzki enters a different discussion: Is he the most accomplished player at the time of his first NBA title? Could Dirk be the player who was most successful in his career before he could finally got to raise the championship trophy?

"I don't really think that way right now," Nowitzki said. "If you're in this league for 13 years of just battling and playoffs the last basically 10 years, 11 years, and always coming up a little short. That's why this is extra special. If I would have won one early in my career, maybe I would have never put all the work and the time in that I have over the last 13 years. So this feels amazing."

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, four players have won their first NBA title after accruing at least 10 All-Star selections beforehand: Jerry West, Kevin Garnett, Oscar Robertson, and Elvin Hayes. Nowitzki and Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd, both of whom have been named an All-Star 10 times have now joined this group.